Montclair council should allow for phone-in public comment (Letter to the Editor)

The Montclair Township Council is considering several important issues, including the town budget, the proposed accessory dwelling unit (ADU) ordinance and the Lackawanna redevelopment plan. But public comment continues to be closed to phone-in participation and to be restricted to those who can attend the meetings in person.

This amounts to the virtual disenfranchisement of substantial numbers of our citizenry, especially older citizens who cannot drive at night. (The town’s Senior Ride service shuts down at 8 p.m., a point at which town council meetings have been underway an hour at most.) 

And we senior citizens are not the only ones discriminated against. All bedridden or mobility-challenged people are barred from participation, as are single parents who cannot arrange for or afford babysitters.

I urge town council members to reconsider this policy and reopen council participation to all citizens by reinstating phone-in access.

Frank Millspaugh
Montclair